Between the Conflicts of Battle
by betterlead2100
Summary: An aloof, but bold Kamui attempts to reconcile friendly relationships between Hoshidan and Nohrian forces within the army (Revelations). Her efforts and desire for unity often are for naught as she endures seemingly endless suffering- the price of her boundless empathy. A story of adventure, hardship, and romance as (primarily) two blockheads vie for her. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Leon's grin says it all. His fingers glide the rook across the mahogany chess board with seasoned confidence, "Check-mate."

I frown up at him, laying my elbows on the table. I let one of my arms relax, resulting in the startling smack as my hand comes down on the table. The metallic pieces wobbled. "Damn you." I mutter.

"Easy there," he chides, "maybe you'll have better luck next time." He reaches over and ruffles a hand through my platinum hair. In return, I glare at him, _We both no that this isn't a case of luck. _"Come on now, don't be a sore loser," a boyish grin appears on his face as he tilts his head to the side, "You're not a child anymore." His blonde bangs casts a dancing shadow in his irises.

"Pfff, yeah, whatever," I say jokingly as I smack away the hand he has in my hair. "In anycase, have you managed to beat Takumi at Shogi yet?"

His dark eyes turn dull, "Don't talk to me about him." He says coldly.

"Soooo, I take that as a 'no' then." I say, twisting a strand of my shoulder length hair around my index finger. _Should I tell him that I have beat him? _I can't help but smirk at the idea.

"No, Take it as, 'I don't want to talk about him with you.'" He fires back, catching me off guard.

I shrug, and look towards the nearby window, distracted by the radiant sunlight catching on the dust that floated aimlessly around my room. "We're on the same team now, we should all try to get along…" I hear myself speak, though I can't feel the words come out. _Astral plane, huh? The sunlight is so bright… It's nothing like how it was growing up in Nohr. _

Suddenly, his hand is around my wrist. The hair curled on my finger spins around. "You don't understand the gravity of the situation you're heading, do you?" his eyes pierce mine, snapping me from my daze. "Yes we're allies at the end of the day…" he shakes his head, "but throughout the day, Nohr and Hoshido still see each other as enemies."

I nod solemnly. "Don't take me as a fool. I know tensions are high within our army." I pause, unsure of how to continue, "But nobody's trust has been misplaced in me… I'll prove it. I just hope all of you can find trust in one another too."

The grip he has on my arm loosens, and a soft smile spreads on his lips. "It's not that I doubt you… Though it's hard to believe I'm following such a sheltered and inexperienced leader. I never thought I'd serve you over Father or Marx." He scoffs, shaking his head "I can't believe _Marx _follows _your _orders."

"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" I get up to rain a fleet of punches on his shoulders that unphase him. "You ought to listen to your older sister!" I say, berating him.

He continues ignoring me as he stands up from his seat at the small table, and grabs his overcoat from the coat hanger. He's got that smug face painted on- the one that signals his victory.

"Hey, wait! You can't leave like that!" I say tripping over myself to catch up to him at the door, "Not before you wipe that damn smirk off your pretty boy face!" I had wound up to give him a good shove, but I slipped on… _I gotta clean my room... _I fell forwards as my toes caught in the fabric of the dirty shirt discarded on the ground.

He caught hold of my wrist preventing my faceplant on the wooden floorboards. "You should really clean up your room, Kamui."

I stand upright quickly, "Haven't you heard a mess is a sign of a genius?" I say, scowling.

"I'll be sure to send Jakob up." He says, with a sly smile.

"Don't you dare!-"

He cut me off, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"So Milady, you and the young lord have been getting along?" Jakob asks, as he hands me a cup of coffee. From the smell alone, I can tell it's been brewed perfectly. I take a sip. _Perfect indeed._

_That jerk, he did make Jakob come up. _I looked around my sparkly clean and neat room. "Well… You know how Leon and I have always been." I say in response

"At each other's throats?" He asks, raising a silver eyebrow.

I grimace at the harshness of reality. The coffee suddenly tastes a bit bitter. "Umm… Yeah… In a way, I guess that's what it is."

"Well, you're both young. You, nineteen and him, eighteen, so it's to be expected that you bicker now and again." He shrugs as he clears away the empty dessert tray from the table in front of me. His deep violet eyes flicker to meet mine.

"What is it?" I ask as he continues to stare. I look away, feeling as though my flaming irises may extinguish his purple ones.

I could feel his eyes shift back to the crumbs on the plate he was clearing, "No, it's nothing Milady, but was there something distasteful about the coffee? You were looking as though you might gag."

"No, no!" I say, my eyes widening, "Not at all! It's perfect as always!"

"I could brew another pot-" he says, turning hastily toward the kitchenette.

"No, that's not necessary Jakob!" I say hurriedly. He shifts on his feet, unsure of whether to believe me. "Really, it wasn't that that was bothering me."

"Ah, then… Would it be too prying of me to ask what was?" He nears standing beside the table.

"You don't have to be so formal with me." I remind him, knowing that regardless, he would never let himself slip casually into conversation no matter how many times I assured him it was alright. "You can sit, if you'd like." I say gesturing to the chair across from me.

"Was it too nosy of me…"

"No, I'll tell you." I say.

* * *

"Does our army trust you?" He asks puzzled. "Of course they do- they must, otherwise we would have been destroyed from the inside out before we even reached the true battlefield. That much is evident, Milady."

"Do they trust _each other_?" I follow, Leon's words still etched into my mind.

He hums to himself as he thinks, "That may be a different story- it's still early since we've united; allegiances will naturally lie with country and kin. Needless to say, I'm confident there are many like me in this army who have discarded such a bond for the importance of following what's truly righteous. For some it's what's righteous that leads them to find you, and for others… For me, it's the opposite- it's you, that leads me to what's right."

I hide the blush that surely crept to my cheeks behind a hand. "Sometimes, you really know what to say." I smile up at him. "I really appreciate that."

* * *

I tried to pull the covers up over my face, as the fake-morning-astral-plane-light drifted through my window. _There's a battle to be prepared for. _I reminded myself. Still, my hands gripping the sheets, refused to cooperate as they continued to tug at the quilted comforter. _Why won't the stupid things, come-_

_THWAP_, the comforter didn't budge, but my hands sure did. I ended up giving myself a good whack in the face. If I wasn't awake before, I was now.

I was immediately startled by the scoff of another human inside my room. "How'd you get in?" I question Takumi, who's sitting cross-legged at the foot of my bed. _That explains why my comforter gained weight._

He's still giggling away, pointing a finger at me and saying how funny it was to see me punch myself awake. When he finally gains some of his composure he answers, "Your door doesn't have a lock in the first place- I just let myself in."

"Why?-" I ask, "Wait, hold up, how long have you been sitting there?"

"Since 6, don't you remember promising me you were going to be more dedicated to practicing with the bow?"

"Takumi, it's 9." I say looking at the clock on the wall.

"So what?" He says, and from his tone, I know he could care less what time it was. "Let's get going, you're three hours late to practice."

I mutter under my breath, trying to burrow deeper into the covers. "What's it to be late, if you're only waiting on me anyways?"

"Don't say that, you're looking at the best archer in all of Hoshido- you should take your opportunity to be trained by one of the greats more seriously." He says arrogantly.

"You sound like Leon." I mutter, through the layers of blankets. _That was a mistake. But the only insult I knew would have any effect at all._

* * *

**To be continued...? Maybe? Let me know what you guys think! I really wrote this on a whim, so I'm not sure which direction it'll end up taking XD Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The arrow cuts sharply through the air. The target remains untouched.

"Again." His voice harsh.

Another arrow misses the target completely.

"Again." Impatiently, he paces back and forth behind me.

The target, fifteen yards away, set in the lush green of the grass blurred in my vision. My arms ache incredibly, after firing nearly a hundred arrows.

"Wrong again!" As I draw another arrow, he uses another arrow to push my bow down. "That's enough. You're not learning."

I sigh, exhausted. "Well maybe you're just a bad teacher." I mumble.

He ignores me, and instead envelopes my arms with his own. He stands just behind me, gripping the bow over my own hand. "You gotta do it like this." His calm heartbeat beats into my back, and his breath tangles in my ponytail. "Aim… Breathe in… And… Release." The arrow stabs the target through the center, piercing it cleanly.

"Look! Did you see that! I got it!" I say jumping up and down.

"_You _got it? Ha! Yeah right, that was all me." Takamui says, crossing his arms annoyed and as arrogant as ever.

From across the grounds, a squealing Elise calls an end to the silence, flying towards me, her legs carrying her as quickly as they could. "Biiiiiiig Sisterrrrrrr!" She bobs up and down once she's in front of me, and I catch Takumi raising his eyebrows. "Look! Look!" Her blonde pigtails swing around her as she twirls, her light pink dress blossoming around her.

"Oh- You've finally grown into that dress I used to wear." I comment, bending down to her. "You look so cute in it!"

She grins, a light blush on her cheeks, "Haha! Not cuter than when you wore it!" She giggles. "When I'm your age I want to be both cute and strong- Just like you!" Her gleaming purple eyes look at me with their childlike innocence.

Takumi sighs, in a way that almost sounds like a laugh, "'Cute and strong' pffff, uh-huh, sureeee."

Elise suddenly notices Takumi's presence, "You know Takumi, you can be a real meanie sometimes!" She says trying to push him away. "Go somewhere else and leave me and Kamui alone, if you've got nothing nice to say!"

"And you can be a real nuisance sometimes." He says, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere, I was here first."

I hold a hand to my mouth to stifle my own giggle. _They really do act like siblings, bickering like that. It's actually kind of heartwarming._

They continue their needless quarrel as Elise pulls her face into a pout, "You just want Kamui all to yourself."

Takumi's face turns to a tomato shade, "Geez don't say it like that!" His words don't phase her as she easily gives up, trotting away back towards the castle grounds.

"Let's play together next time, Kamui!" the young girl calls over her shoulder.

"Sheesh, Sakura and her are suppose to be the same age, but the two are nothing alike." Takumi sighs, picking up the quiver of arrows from the grass. "We should get going. I'm starving." He says motioning for me to follow. "Here, carry these," He says throwing the two quivers at me.

I catch them, stumbling forward, "What about the ones I fired into the range?"

"They'll still be there for you to retrieve tomorrow," he says throwing a glance back at me.

"Tomorrow?! What-You're not going to help me pick them up-" I begin to complain, but he cuts me off.

"I'm not the one that missed the target a hundred times in a row."

Just as he was about to plant his next step in the dew covered grass, a huge force knocks him to the ground. "What the hell was that?" He rubs his head, sitting upright. A massive tree had sprouted right in his path. _Not even close to a natural occurrence._

I immediately began surveying the surrounding woods. _That devious boy… Where is he?... _"Leon! Come out now and apologize! You could've seriously hurt Takumi with that Brynhildr spell!

From the shade of a tree a ways down the path, he sits leaning against the trunk of a thick tree, flipping through the pages of the ancient text. A gust of cool wind rustles through his loose hair, and when he looks up, the ice in his eyes was enough to stop me cold in my tracks. "If I wanted to hurt him, I could've done it already."

"You jerk!" Takumi balled his fists and hastily made his way towards the sorcerer. "Hiding like a coward! If you want to fight, let's fight! Here in the open, here and now!"

"Says an archer that shoots his enemy from a distance," Leon says calmly smirking. In the palm of his hand, I could see a spell brewing, waiting for its release

I rush to block Takumi from punching Leon, grabbing the sleeve of his cloak. "No, stop it!" He swings his arm rashly throwing me to the ground. "Damn you, Takumi!" Though my arms sting, I latch on to his leg. "Listen! Don't fight! Please, both of you!" I shout, trying to plead with him. _It will be disastrous if they hurt each other now. We need everyone to be strong for the battle tomorrow._

Leon's orb of spells immediately dissipates as he rushes towards us. _Don't throw any punches… Please… _I clench my jaw, and force my eyes closed. I wait. Nothing happens.

I open an eye to find Leon extending his hand towards me. "Are you alright?" I'm still cowering, holding tight to Takumi's leg. At that, Takumi's glare softens as the hatred for all Nohrians seems to momentarily be forgotten about. He looks at me, with an apologetic look in his coffee eyes.

As quickly as I had caught that look on his face, it was gone again-his gaze, barren and unforgiving. He swivels his leg from my grasp, "You're all the same- weak, unteachable cowards. I was a fool to believe you'd be different." He says as he heads down the path without me.

_Wow. That hurt more than I expected._

"Please don't cry over that fool." Leon scoops me up in his arms, carrying me.

"H-Hey, put me down! I can walk just fine, I'm not hurt!" I say hurriedly, "And I'm not crying!"

"Yeah, okay, sure, _you're not crying_." he reiterates, sarcastically. "You've been on your feet since this morning. You need to rest otherwise you won't even be able to _walk _into battle tomorrow, much less fight."

I pout, folding my arms, but he ignores me, smirking his pretty boy smirk. "How would you know how long I've been here?" I mutter.

He tactfully dodges the question, "Hold onto my neck, otherwise I might drop you." He says before taking a step.

I obey, wrapping an arm around his neck. His fair skin, it's warm to the touch. _Such a friendly, reassuring warmth._ As he walks down the path, I watch the shadow of leaves overhead play in the gleam of his eyes.

"You're staring Kamui." He says without averting his eyes from the path. "What's the matter?"

In my daze, I can't recall what I'd said, but he let out a half snort in response. "What?" I ask.

"Your such an aloof one." He looks at me now, I know because the patterns in his irises change. He releases his breath, blowing my drifting bangs from my eyes. "I don't know how you're our leader."

* * *

**Well, I'm not sure where this story is going XD Thanks for reading though! Feel free to comment and review... Truly, your guess is as good as mine- I have no idea where this story is going... **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Where's Takumi?" Sakura asks in her shy voice, as she pokes the diced yam around her plate. Her chestnut eyes glimmer anxiously. Her beautiful, sakura-colored locks catch in the glint of the sun.

I ball my hands on the table, running my fingers over the welts of my fresh blisters from the morning's archery practice. _Do I really care where he's at anyway?... Freaking jerk._ "I don't kn-."

"Yeah, where is that silly goose?" Elise chimes in, as she links her arm through Sakura's, inviting herself to the picnic table.

I sigh, though I'm happy Elise is here now. Those two get along well, and Elise's able to get Sakura to be a little less nervous. "I don't really know." I say. _Should I say more than that?... _"He was kind of upset at me this morning…"

"W-What happened? Mmm, well does get frustrated easily…" She looks down at her hands. "Ah! I didn't mean to cut in like that… It's just, I mean, if it's not too nosy of me to ask w-what happened..." Sakura trails off.

"Yeah! What did he that big meanie say to you?" Elise asks, pulling her lips into a frown.

Before I can open my mouth to respond, a whirlwind sends the picnic table cloth fluttering about.

"Milady, Lord Takumi is near the aqueducts."

I jump, startled by Suzukaze's sudden appearance out of thin air. "Ah! You scared me!" I say trying to give him a shove. "You do that every time Kaze! I swear you're going to give me a heart attack appearing like that!" I scold him.

"My apologies Milady. I couldn't help but overhear…" His mild voice has an almost instantaneous soothing effect. "I just happened to know where he was."

"No it's okay," I say shaking my head, "No need to apologize. It would be better if I learned how detect your presence anyway." I huff under my breath. "So… He's by the aqueducts?" I ask as my heart begins resuming its normal pace.

"Mm." He nods matter-o-factly. "Would you like me to accompany you there?" Suzukaze raises his violet eyes to meet mine.

_What an unusual color… Like an eggplant..._

"Would you like me to accompany you?" He repeats, this time arching an eyebrow.

He catches me in my daze "Oh, no-I'd hate for you to have to backtrack since you were there earlier today, no worries… I'll head out and fetch him." I look towards the early evening which parades in the wispy clouds, turning them a tropical fruit color. "It's getting late too. The walk back to camp will be difficult for him to do if he were alone after nightfall…" I say, though mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of colors at play in the sky. "The invisible soldiers from Valla may be…"

I didn't have a chance to finish my sentence as Sakura let out a small whimper, "O-Oh p-please, not that! I-I hope he's not hurt." She says worriedly. "Maybe I s-should go with you."

The concern in her voice snaps me back to reality, and I feel the need to reassure her. "No, he won't be hurt. I won't let that happen," I say holding up a hand as I depart. "He'll be fine." I head off toward the armory.

Just across the road from the armory in the glade of dead trees, I scamper along the crab grass and rotting roots to find _my _weathered willow tree. In the usual nook, I pick up Yato in it's golden sheath and sling it over my shoulder and tie my side pouch with the Dragonstone around my waist. _I can never be too sure… Though that fool better not be getting into trouble. _I sigh, as I head towards the forest path that leads to the outer aqueducts. _I just hope we can make it back before nightfall._

Weapons are usually stored in the armory- for battles only- but I hide Yato and my Dragonstone away so that whoever's running the armory doesn't tell my older siblings that I'm getting into trouble. _Marx, Hinoka, Camilla, Ryoma- they'd be devastated if they knew how often I ventured out by myself._

I follow the stream of water that flows from the large lake near the gate to the real-life realm. The sky has darks considerably as the minutes pass and the terrain of the path has changed from grassy to rocky. _I wish I had worn shoes instead of just this. _I look at my practice gear, frowning. White shirt, black leggings, and only my leather armor... bare feet- out of habit. _Can't afford new shoes every time a transform. Heck, if I transform… my clothes will rip… I can't transform… _I shake my head. _Only if it's an emergency._

* * *

The cool night breeze brushes my face sending goosebumps up my arms. For a moment, I turn to view the army's castle from afar. Lights from the settlement twinkle in the night. _From how small the lights are, I must have walked at least three kilometers… Damn. And I still haven't run into Takumi._ I frown. _Did he really intend to make us all worry and go out looking for him?... Arrogant, inconsiderate brat. _I turn to continue down the rocky path. My feet burn at the prickle of the loose pebbles underfoot. _All I want to do is sit down for a while..._

But I fight the urge to rest; the eerie breeze- it almost feels like someone's breathing on my neck. _I can't shake the feeling._ I can feel the sweat beading at my hairline and chilling as sharp gusts of wind push past. I immediately spin back around. _No one… Ah, come on Kamui, you're gonna wear yourself out being paranoid like this._ I try to reason with myself. My grip on the hilt of Yato relaxes only slightly, though in the luminescence of the moon I can still see the tension that turns my knuckles pale. My eyes adjusting to the darkness, scan the shrubs and bushes that dot the dusty path. I Listen for any out of place rustle. Nothing… _Still. I can't shake that feeling. _"Come on now," I coax my feet to keep moving. "The bridge is right there. Takumi should be here somewhere."

As I near the channel that crosses the bridge, carrying water across the valley, I pause. _Damn it. _The narrow bridge, though long, I can see the other side- and between here and there- it's empty. Not a soul to be seen. _Where is that child. I came all the way out here to make sure he got back safely- and this is the thanks I get?!_

I trample onto the wooden bridge, furious. All I want to do is yell, and before long, it's too much to suppress. I close my eyes tightly, "Is this how you repay me?! I came all the way out here to fetch your dumb arse! Well, you can forget about that you fool! You have no considerat-"

"Get down!" I'm blown to the ground with such force- like getting trampled by Silas' horse- I barely catch the whizzing sound of an arrow overhead. "We've got to move!" a hand grabs mine, dragging me back towards the cover of the shrubs.

His cream colored locks tangle in the wind and his face is all but a blur as he coaxes me faster. "Geez! Takumi what are you doing?! You oaf! Where were you?! I yell.

He scowls back at me for a second, but his amber eyes grow softer, "Why would you care?" I'm about to scold him, but his eyes widen and he tugs me closer, pleading me to run faster.

I look back to see what he's seen.

I hear my own gasp, but can't feel it in my scratchy throat. "T-Takumi- t-they're everywhere!" I barely manage to rasp out the words. About fifty yards away a mob of purple-pink mirages accumulate filling in the voids of humanoid bodies. I watch as their hands draw back the strings of their yumi.

"INVADERS, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME."

I hear their empty voices resonating through the thicket of brush. "Takumi, they're going to fire at us at any second! We're sitting ducks!" I say, my voice embedded with fear.

With a flash of light, he draws Fujin Yumi. The sacred arrow disperses one of the ghostly figures. "A little bit further." He huffs, turns his head back to the path. "They're ameteur shots anyway." he says, smirking. Though he says this, his breathing runs ragged and a stream of sweat runs along his cheek.

_We won't outrun these mirages… _"T-Takumi- there're too many- we really need to-"

"I promise, we'll be fine. Trust me." His breath plumes in the chilly night air. His eyes are locked to the path.

I shake my head before I can stop myself. _No. I don't believe you. You've underestimated them. We can't hide in the brush. You won't be able to hit them all in time. There's too many and they're already too close._

I can hear the snap of the archers' bows- it means arrows coming to impale us. Oddly, despite the cold, my blood makes haste through my veins. Despite the fear that seizes my body, my mind rushes in one way, towards one thought: _I'm going to protect us no matter what._ My fist gathers around my Dragonstone. "Don't hurt him!"

I don't remember how we made it back to camp that night.

* * *

"Ughhh, what happened?" I struggle to sit up, but everything aches.

"Hey! Lay back down, dumb dragon." My eyes take a while to adjust to the lighting, but once they do, they track down Takumi who sits on the chair beside my bed.

"What happened?" I ask, rubbing my eyes. My back doesn't want to stay upright, so I almost immediately fall back into my bed. I open my eyes, resting my head on the pillow. _None of my muscles want to behave after being stretched out in that form… I didn't even wear my proper armor. If I had it would have given my joints a bit more support… _I sigh, looking back towards Takumi. Because his hair is still tied up, I can see the blood seeping through the bandages on his exposed shoulders and the cut on his cheek. His cloak hangs off the backside of the wooden chair which he sits on cross legged. I gage the wounds on his shoulders, _How deep? How painful? Will he be able to use Fujin Yumi in battle?_

"Don't look at me like that." He says, casting his eyes away from mine. "Trust me, you were in way worse shape than me last night." He hastily makes a move to get up, but decides against it and instead fiddles with his fingers.

"Was I able to stay in my dragon form long enough to…"

He doesn't look up, "Yeah, I was able to shoot all of em while you guarded me." He throws his arms up, "See, look, we're still alive!"

"Good." I release a stale breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Ah… But… My human form- I didn't change back until you got me to Elise or Sakura, right?"

His fair skin, turned red, "Um, yeah. Well, Suzukaze and Saizo brought us both here."

"Meaning…?"

"I collapsed as soon as I got us both back to castle grounds… I carried you on my back." He turned a deeper shade of red. "Look, it doesn't mean anything!"

My door swings open with a crisp bang. "You pervert." Leon mutters, kicking the underside of Takumi's chair as he draws closer to me. "Don't lie." _He's wearing his full battle gear. _

Leaning closer to me, he grabs my left arm, swipes up the shirt sleeve and examines it. "Good it's healed." He places my arm back on the bed comforter. "Get dressed if you're well- we have a real battle ahead of us today."

"What's healed?" I ask.

"Hey! She's injured, you can't seriously expect her to fight on the battlefield!"

"You had a gash on your arm last night when I checked on you… You must've been struck by an arrowhead that had been soaked in poison. I'm surprised how well Princess Sakura was able to heal it." He says, ignoring Takumi.

"No way! It doesn't even look like I had a cut here to begin with!" I inspect the arm in question, but all that remains is a fine line a few centimeters long that stretches along my left forearm.

"You feel _fine_?! You can't even sit up!" Takumi yells. "You call that fine?!" He faces Leon abruptly, standing to grab his shoulder, "There's no way she can fight today! You have to let her rest!"

At that, Leon grabs the hand that rests on his shoulder and slams Takumi against the wall. "_That's enough from you, you brat." _He hisses. "_I'm telling you she's fine."_

"What do you know?!" Takumi makes a move to shove Leon away, but he quickly finds hold on Takumi's bandaged shoulder.

"No! Stop it! My voice crackles between their struggle, but they're both lost to their fury.

"I know Kamui better than anyone. Don't question me." Leon's armored fingers dig into the latter's covered wound. Takumi winces, still trying to get Leon to budge. "She's like this after transforming when she doesn't wear her armor."

_I've got to stop them! Now! _I beg my body to move, but my muscles don't obey.

"Damn you," he spits at Leon, refusing to give up. Despite the blood seeping the gauze and running onto his tank top, he manages to sputter, "Get your filthy Nohrian hands off of me."

_I've never seen Leon's face contorted so wickedly. _He grins, a savage, relentless grin, "What's the matter?"

"Please! Please! I'm begging you! Stop it Leon!"

He releases his hold on Takumi, who slides down the wall, gasping in pain. Turning to me, the warmth from his eyes is gone, "You shouldn't trust everyone so immediately," he says flatly. His eyes shift away from my own. "I don't understand why you didn't tell me before leaving the castle. I could have gone with you. You were hurt because of his recklessness. This is _his _fault."

"No, stop it Leon." Though my eyes burn, I can't bear to look at him. "I couldn't have told you. Though I was angry he'd left the grounds so close to dusk, I wouldn't leave him to be caught in a fight alone. If I had gone any later… The situation may be different."

Leon's stare pierces me, "It would have been doing him a favor to leave him to fight for himself for once." He says icily.

"Is this all a joke to you?" I sputter. _I don't know how much more I can take. _"None of our comrades are expendable, Leon. No more than you or I!"

"Do you think me to be a fool?!" He raises his voice at me. "I know this isn't a game-"

"Then why?! Why was it wrong of me to help a comrade in need? I would give up everything to save anybody in this army!"

"That's just the point! I'm saying that this army needs you! It doesn't need someone that's going to ruin everything you worked so hard to bring together."

From the floor, Takumi sputters, "You're one to say that, if anything it's _you _who's going to make her end up getting hurt."

I hardly recognize the voice as my own. "I'll fight without hesitation Leon. Because it's for this cause, I can. So that the future of Nohr and Hoshido can forever know the security of peace, I'll continue leading our army safely through battles- for however long it takes. I hadn't planned otherwise." I look to Takumi, "Leon's right, I'll be fine. I just need the right armor to support my shifts between forms."


	4. Chapter 4

**PLEASE DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED FIRE EMBLEM REVELATIONS THROUGH CHAPTER 18. THIS CHAPTER IS PLOT HEAVY AND CONTAINS SPOILERS RELATING TO THE PLOT OF CHAPTER 18. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE SOME HEAVIER THEMES TO THIS CHAPTER SO PLEASE BE ADVISED!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"What's this?" I ask as Ryoma hands me a sizable satchel.

"You should wear it into this battle." He replies stoically. His dark eyebrows furrow at the mention of _battle_.

_He hates the fighting as much as I do._

I untie the rope, and peer into the sack. "No, Ryoma, this is far too extravagant to wear… I couldn't possibly…" The golden sheen of the metallic shield catches the dawn light. The pristine white of the fabric only makes me imagine the red it'll be stained with by sunset. I draw the strings back around it and hold it out to him. "I can't wear this. I'm sorry."

THWACK, tears well in my eyes and I wince as a dull pain makes it's way across my scalp.

"Geeeez, can't you just trust your big brother for once?" Crimson twirls her steel axe with seasoned ease as she leans against Ryoma's shoulder.

"Owww," I moan rubbing the spot where Crimson had let the blunt side of her axe whack me in the head. I swear it was a hard enough hit to break the decorative rocks that plate the handle of her weapon. With another revolution through the air, she catches her prized possession and grins, admiring her undamaged craftsmanship.

The knot in Ryoma's eyebrows untangles at Crimson's nearness, "She's right. Put it on and see how you like it." He uncrosses his arms to gesture to the sack. "All royals of Hoshido have armor tailor made. This has been waiting for you for quite a while… For the day you'd return to us as the rightful princess you are."

I continue massaging the soreness on my head. "Well," I say turning towards my treehouse, "Okay, I'll give it a try. It was really thoughtful of you all to have this made for me."

They both nod, and Crimson flashes me a thumbs up.

My lips pull into a pout and I narrow my eyes stubbornly at her. _Geez that hurt._

She giggles at the face I'd made, and soon her contagious laughter finds resonance in my own throat.

As I head back to my room, I can't help but smile as I reminisce at the sight of Ryoma letting his guard down… A darker thought begins to brew. _If there wasn't this war, this constant fighting… I'm sure they'd both have time to cherish one another... Ryoma wouldn't have that permanent anxiety that creases his forehead... Crimson could decorate things besides her weapons..._

I turn to glance back at them just before they're out of sight. I watch as Crimson bumps Ryoma's shoulder and whispers something into his ear behind a raised hand, making him slip into a chuckle. For as long as I'd known Ryoma, I had yet to see this kind of warmth illuminate his face. _He loves her… He truly does…_

* * *

"Well, don't you look spiffy," Zero comments as we head towards the round that lies in the center of the castle grounds.

"Ha thanks." I say, glancing his way, knowing he didn't actually have any intention of giving me a compliment. Beside him, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb- me dressed in all white and gold and him dressed in black and dark blues. _Aside from the color, I admit, I like this new armor. It's far more supportive than my old Nohrian set. _

He scoffs, and proceeds to tease me, "The white's gonna get stained~" He pauses, reaching to untie something from the bow on his back. "Take this, maybe you'll put it to better use than me."

He tosses me a _staff…?_ "Ha, you know, even shrine maidens can't heal themselves!" I shrug, "But, that's alright, I'll pass it on to Sakura."

"Nuh nah nah, before you do that, just… give it a try." Zero smirks. "When you're in a pinch, it'll be useful-" He pauses before adding, "You're the one always getting little scratches and cuts; always such a careless one~ It'll be useful for you. Train you to be more self reliant, you know?"

"Zero, I don't even know _how_ to use a staff." I interrupt. _Sometimes I don't know whether to make heads or tails of you._

"Then, it's about time you did! If a… seasoned" A grin tugs at his mouth, _he wouldn't call himself old,_ "...dog like me can still learn new tricks, you can too."

His deft footfalls on the path ahead indicate his skill as my crunchy, loud ones… _well, not so much._

"It'll go with your fancy outfit~" A lopsided grin creases his skin and his one eye arches like a bow as his cheeks pull up a clever smile.

As we file in through the portal to the real dimension, Leon catches up to me, giving me a nudge. "Since when did you learn to use a staff?" He asks, eyeballing the metallic cane strapped on my back. His caramel eyes flicker back to meet mine, "And since when did you start wearing _their _armor?"

"What's wrong with my armor?"

He gruffly mutters something I don't catch as the whirlwind of the portal pulls us in.

* * *

"Trust me. We need to jump."

The eerie wind gusts sporadically, sending my platinum hair in streaks across my face. The army remains silent. Leon gives me a sharp look as I take my stance. From the other side of the grounds I can sense Takumi's stare gnawing at my resolve.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I'll be able to tell you everything when we reach the bottom."

After a brief moment, the army sputters back to life, muttering, "Jump?" "To the _bottom_?" "There's a bottom?"

_Their doubt is to be expected._

Over it all, Azura's calming voice echoes, "We can't speak of this matter here… there's a…"

"A curse." I fill in. "If I speak the truth here, I'll vanish… If I must to prove we're not lying, I will..." _I'm a coward for hesitating… _"To bring peace and eliminate the _true _enemy… No price is too hefty for me to pay."

Ryoma and Marx look at me sharply, yet in a way that's unreadable, with their arms crossed sternly across their broad chests.

"...Then, if I must..." I look to Ryoma and Marx again for some sign of reassurance. I open my mouth, the words floating on my tongue. _My words will be my own poison. This is what it means to die for a cause. It must be done. _I close my eyes. _I want to remember them in times they were happy… _

"The cur-"

"Stop this madness at once, Sister." Marx interrupts me.

"Don't question the loyalty our warriors have to this alliance." Ryoma says.

"We trust you big sister!" Elise chimes in, "Don't be silly, you don't have anything to prove to us!"

To my surprise, they all nod their heads in agreement.

"In battles, we've trusted you with our lives," Hinoka says, grasping my hands with her own. "I see no reason to doubt your integrity." Her scarlet eyes smolder, reflecting the ashen sky overhead that begins to mingle with a cloudless brightness.

"Of course I've always believed in you, dear." Camilla says, a warm smile spreading across her lips. "No matter what happens, you will always be my little princess."

One by one, siblings, friends, soldiers… Family… They take that leap of faith off the bridge.

"Find me in the afterlife!" With a psychotic giggle, Asama dives off the rope bound bridge into the abyss.

Sakura watches with a concerned look on her face. "I-Is it t-truly alright?" She asks, apprehensive.

"I promise." I say, bending to meet her soft eyes. "I'll be right behind you." I smile briefly, attempting to hide the nervous tremors that race up and down my arms.

"If anything happens," Takumi glares at me, "I'm blaming you." He follows his younger sister.

"What a coward…" Leon sighs, watching Takumi step over the ropes. Shrugging he follows without another comment.

Before long, it's only Crimson and I who remain at the edge of the bridge. I grip the twine rope tight enough to turn my knuckles pale as I lean over the edge. Glancing in her direction, I catch as her nimble fingers fiddle with something on the breast pocket of her leather armor.

"What's the matter?" She asks, though her focus remains on the small object.

My heart beats loud enough to set a hum reverberating behind my ears. "Mmmm, it's nothing… Just feeling a little nervous. I know it'll be alright. Everyone's safe… And yet it's still difficult to make this leap."

At that, she lays a hand on my shoulder, "Look kid, it's all gonna be fine. Everybody gets a little nervous sometimes." She motions towards the flower she'd pinned on her vest. "You see, knights in Cheve," her eyes gleam fondly at the mention of her hometown, "... We do this as a symbol and hope for courage and strength." She pauses for a second, before wiggling her eyebrows. "But, I mean, if it's the jumping part that's hard, ya know, I can just give ya a good hearty shove." She says winking.

The four petaled flower blossoms cheerfully against the scarlet of her suit. A brilliant white against the foreboding darkness of the canyon.

Her contagious smile spreads to my own face, "I'll keep that in mind… for the next battle." I giggle a little adding, "Wouldn't want Ryoma to think his brave little sister was faint of heart!" With a lighter heart, I make a quick salute waving to her as I leap over the rope rails. "See you down there!"

She matches my quick two finger salute with her own that accompanies a wide grin.

* * *

_Zero, last battle was the time I should've learned to wield a staff. _I cast the metallic rod to the ground. _I don't have enough practice using magic. It's not working. _"Sakura, Sakura please help! Please!" My cries fire desperately through the peace of the valley. My shaky hands draw the pale woman closer to me, laying her in my lap. "Please, stay with me!" Her eyelids flutter. I instinctively rush to cover the gash, but it's no use. My hand quickly stains the same wine red color. _I can't do this…_ I taste salt in my mouth. _I can't cause her more pain. _I look at her face where her eyebrows knot and her lips pull into a grimace. My hand falls to my side. _I'm sorry._

"Please don't close your eyes… please." I beg, brushing her cheek with my hand. _This is all I can do now…_ I try to smile encouragingly, "You'll be okay." I say. _She knows just as well as I... _"Just hold on… Sakura, she'll be here soon." I squeeze her hand tighter.

She struggles to keep her eyes focused on me. "I-I," she sputters a bit, "It'll be okay…" she shakes her head, loosing a tear that trails down her fair skin. "I-I'm… so sorry…"

"No- Crimson, don't apologize-"

"No, look, kid," her trembling fingers reach to wipe away the rivers trailing down my cheeks. "I w-wanted so badly to see this peace t-to the end." She inhales shallowly, gasping with difficulty, "But this is as far as fate allows me to go… So unfair... Th-this cursed fate… " Her lip quivers as she draws in a rattling breath. "Tell him that I love him." She sniffles, "I-I wanted... peace… a future for both of us…" Another shattered breath, this one seeming to be exponentially more draining than the last,"Y-You're gonna make everybody… so… proud. I-I'm happy knowing… you'll bring peace… for everybody."

"Don't go… You can't…" I sob, letting my forehead touch her own. _This is too cruel!... _I feel as she exhales her last breath. Her irises fade as her pupils trail off towards some distant point. _She's gone._

I don't know how long I stayed like that, but Sakura found us eventually.

* * *

Sakura makes her way to the front of the army and immediately pales at the sight before her, but swallows her nervousness. "I-I'll do my best." _She knows as well as I do that there's nothing she can to save her. _Regardless she spins her rod skillfully.

"Why did this happen?! I sob over Crimson's motionless body. "This is all my fault! How could've I let her die!?" My head spins at the sight of the wound in her side as the scarlet tides pool, matting the lush grass in a horrid shade of red. I grasp the grass as tightly as I can in clenched fists, trying to gain stability. _As if that could cleanse the smell of bloody iron from my own skin._ I force my eyes to face her corpse. To memorize the details of our army's only fallen comrade. The golden blades of her eyelashes. _She will never again reveal her lively maroon eyes again._ I look at her mouth that lay neutral. _Her smile… Will never be seen again. _"I'm so sorry." My whisper crackles the peace of the Valla breeze. _She's gone forever._

Across from me, I feel the slight tremor of the ground as Ryoma drops to his knees, his arms hanging helplessly at his sides. Tears well in his eyes as he bends to hold her lifeless hand. _He must hate me right now. Because of me… she's… dead._

I can't bear to face him any longer and get up.

After a moment I hear Ryoma inhale sharply. "Why…?" His whisper trembles. His face lies in the shadows of his headdress and his body quakes as he balls his hands that rest on his knees.

"I'm so sorry, Ryoma. She… She was protecting me. I-I… I couldn-t… I'm sorry..."

The army shuffles anxiously back to life, sending Ryoma back into a cautiously aware state. _We all know we can't stay here for long. The invisible soldiers may be tracking us at this very instant._

"Hey." Hinoka nudges her older brother's shoulder gently, though her eyes dart nervously as she surveys the area. "We have to go." Her eyes shimmer sympathetically as she grips his armor. "I'm so sorry."

"I-I can't just leave her here." His voice falters- something I've never heard before.

The army fusses, gathering weapons, "We must move!" Saizo hurries through the crowds of soldiers giving command, his twin trailing beside him. "Our location has been compromised!

"Lady Kamui, you must go!" Suzukaze grips my shoulders firmly, his purple eyes wide and his voice laced with urgency. Through the bustle of the army, I look to Ryoma.

He grasps Crimson close to his chest. "I'm sorry." his voice barely audible, over the clamor. He lays his lips on the crown of her head. "Farewell…"

"Lady Kamui!" My attention snaps back to Suzukaze who gives me a shake. "Now, go!" He encouragingly pushes me in the direction of the rest of the army, towards the rubble of a destroyed fort. I keep looking back towards Ryoma.

Hinoka tugs on his shoulder, the army scatters as the first fires of yumi pierce the nearby treas. "We have to go, Ryoma!" her voice crackles over the rumble of feet. "Listen, we cannot let her sacrifice be in vain. We must make a stance!"

* * *

We had been surrounded. It had happened all too quickly. The army needs to take out the mage creating the illusions. So we separated. Scattered. _It's our best chance at winning- divide and conquer… Our army has to be hidden everywhere, but..._ I lower my head, ducking beneath the brambles as I watch the shimmers of purple through the gaps of brush. The grunt of the axe wielder startles me… _Or perhaps it's just the wind…_ I cover my mouth.

_This sucks._

I'm on my own.

My excessively tight hold on Yato, is enough to fatigue my fingers within minutes. I trek low to the ground, following behind the savage illusion. _I can take this one out. My sword swing is faster than that axe._

"S-Stay back you smelly goat!" I hear Mozume's voice from the clearing up ahead.

My heart leaps- _how long had I been on my own? Ten minutes? An hour? Several? _It was a relief to hear an ally nearby. I stick to the outskirts of the grassy clearing in the thicker bushes. From there, I watch as Mozume swings her lance with wild power, on a swordsman illusion.

Behind her, Tsukuyomi casts an additional spell, that rages in a shade of purple towards the lancer that accompanied the enemy illusion.

The axeman I had been tracking spots the pair immediately, changing its direction with robotic efficiency.

_Oh no…_ my body goes numb at the realization. _Mozume's lance is up against an axe. _I look to Tsukuyomi who frantically digs through his side pouch, looking to trade Calamity Gate with something more effective. I hear him curse under his breath as he tugs at another spellbook. Mozume meanwhile swings an iron bow from her back and begins firing at the axeman running towards the pair. _Soon the illusion will be too close for her bow to be effective..._

"Damn this…" Tsukuyomi groans, frantically trying to untie the leather binding of a Nohrian mage book. His fingers fiddle hurriedly with the binding. He drops it. He curses, fumbling to pick it up. _He's not going to get it in time..._

I charge the illusion- my feet won't stop. My fingers glide to wield the sword with the grip Marx had skillfully trained me to use so many months ago. Everything's automatic. Smooth.

The illusion's head spins around with inhuman ability and speed, catching sight of me. Like a blender, it's boneless, pain resistant form spins its lengthy axe arm at my face. I duck, feeling the swoosh of the axe clip a few stray hairs atop my head. From beneath the figure, I kick it in its chin, sending the illusion back a few steps.

THWACK. My eyes widen as an arrow pierces the figure's hand.

"Now!" A voice echoes from down the way. "Hurry! Strike now!"

My sword hand moves with practiced speed. The purple fog of the figure disperses.

_Where is Takumi? The arrow, it was his, right?_

From the opposite side of the field…

"Zero…?" Tsukuyomi looks uncertainly at the archer. "It was you who fired that?"

"Thanks for saving us! Both of ya are real good shots!" Mozume says, her brown eyes catching the glowing sunlight.

Tsukuyomi scratches his auburn hair, "Yeah… I guess you really did save us… Thanks."

* * *

"How'd I end up with you?" I ask the outlaw as we make our way to the main fort. After informing Mozume and Tsukuyomi of the ambush being orchestrated on the fort housing the lead mage, we'd decided to split into pairs. Being a group of four would be too noticeable.

"Look sweetheart, I'm gonna be blunt," Zero says, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips, "Are you upset it's me? Or were you hoping that maybe Tsukuyomi would be with you?" He nudges my arm, "Into younger guys, huh?"

"Now, why would that be?" I say, deciding it would be easier to just play along. I drag the tip of Yato on the grass behind me. _His talking is going to wear me out before we even get there._

His eye darts to the ground where the sword trails on the ground. He frowns. "Curious is all." He says shrugging. "Maybe you could indulge my curiosity…" he waits for my reaction, but I look stoically at the path ahead. "... Enlighten me princess, you seem to be the heartthrob of the army lately. Especially among the young gents. Can you tell me what that's all about? I just can't figure out what's so great about you." As if that weren't enough, he continues, "Lord Leon, Lord Marx, the princesses… they are always doting on you, and there's truly no reason for that other than…" He snickers demeaningly, "You can't take care of yourself."

"Zero, this really isn't the time for such jokes." I say, shaking my head. _I'm annoyed. _ "You're a real character, huh?"

"Hey," He grabs my hand quickly lifting my sword from the ground, "don't do that." He looks cautiously around, listening for something.

My blood chills. "Do what?" I whisper. His warm grasp on my wrist radiates up my arm, yet it only makes me feel more uneasy.

"Dragging that. You're leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the enemy." His eye continues to dart, surveying the brush. After another second he abruptly drops my arm. "Okay, it looks like we're in the clear."

"Right." I lug Yato onto my back to sheath it, my fingers passing over the staff. A shiver runs up my spine.

"See, I was right, you're horribly reckless. It's like babysitting…"

That horrible memory. _If only I had trained more… Had learned more skills… But I hadn't… I couldn't help her. I couldn't save her…The staff… If only I could've… So much blood… She's dead. _I look at my hands… _Is that her blood under my nails?_ I scrub them on the white fabric of my cape. "It's not coming off…"

"Kamui? … Kamui, hey!

I look at Zero in a panic. But my eyes latch back to the horrible red on my hands.

What are you doing? What's gotten into you?"

"It's on me!"

"What's on you?" He's got the same frantic look in his eyes as if the same thing that plagues me could ail him too.

"Blood!"

"Stop-"

"Let go!" I shake his hand off of me and continue rubbing my fingertips against the fabric.

He grabs both my hands the next time, stopping me from clearing away the gritty iron substance. His grey eye looks anxiously into mine. "You're fine. There's no blood. See?"

My hands, besides a few scratches, there's nothing. I shake my head. "Ah… I'm sorry." _That image. I can't shake it. Her eyes. There was so much hope in her eyes… The blood of an innocent woman is on my hands… _

He releases my hands. "You're okay now." He gently pats my shoulder, his eyebrows knotting empathetically, "Perhaps I said too much."

I shrug off his hand. "No... No, you're right…" I look to the trail ahead. "Let's make haste now. I'm sure the others are waiting."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Ryoma… I'm so sorry." The flicker of candlelight dances on his face creased with stress. His elbows sorrowfully tremble, rattling the small wooden table we sit at. He shields his eyes with his battle worn hands, though I can see the droplets that dribble onto the table beneath.

I reach across the table to lay a comforting hand on his forearm. _No. _I pull it back. _There's no possible way I could offer any condolence. After all, this was my fault… _

The tick of the second hand rounds the clock that hangs on my wall.

"Why did it have to be her?" His voice is barely audible. _Is he angry with me?... Of course… He's got to be… _

I stare at the bandages on his shoulder and the bruise that swells his cheek.

"Hey… Hey… Don't…" His warm hand startles me, his finger gently sliding beneath my eye. _Why… am I the one… crying?_

Our red eyes meet. _So much pain in his eyes_. _He must've been crying for so long… _I clench the fabric of my pant leg to stifle my own overwhelming emotion. _It's unfair for me to cry… _"I don't know… I don't know, Ryoma. _But… _"But I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I couldn't save her." _I want to cry too._

He reluctantly pushes the oak chair from the tea table, hastily getting up. "This is the price of war, Sister… These wretched battles…Never forget that fighting will always come at a price… The ones dearest to us can be taken by fate just as easily as our enemies." He looks back at me from my bedroom door. "Peace must be won… I will not accept Crimson's death to have been for nothing." His lip trembles, but I can see the muscles in his jaw clench to suppress it. "May we never lose sight of who the true enemy is."

The door shuts with a click.

* * *

I sit until the candle wick burns low.

"Perhaps some tea, Milady?"

"Gah! Jakob! When did you…?! I didn't see you come in!" I sputter.

"My apologies, Milady. I didn't mean to frighten you." He gives a curt bow, his shiny silver fringe falling into his eyes. He hesitates for a moment before regaining his full posture. "But, I've been here for quite a while."

"Nah, it's okay… You just startled me… " I smile warmly at him. _How nice it is to have someone so reliable. _"Tea sounds fine."

"I'll fetch a new candlestick too." He says, returning a tight lipped smile.

"Everything… alright, Jakob? You're acting even… stiffer than usual." I comment.

"Yes, of course I'm fine…" He swings open my bedroom door. "I'll only be a moment.

* * *

He gently tips the kettle in a fluid movement, though the grimace plastered on his face intones something's amiss. "Jakob, really, you don't look fine. Are you _sure_ nothing's the matter?" I pry.

He sets the kettle down with a clang that makes me jump. "I'm entirely fine Milady." He leans on the table with both of his gloved hands. A bead of sweat glistens on the left side of his cheek.

"Jakob, please, sit down." I look at him, nodding encouragingly towards the chair opposite me. _He looks as though he's about to pass out._

"I'm f-fine…"

His knees buckle and I hurriedly rush to hoist his arm over my neck to keep him from falling. I half drag, half walk him over to my bed where I lay him down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask hurriedly. "Can you tell me where you're hurt?"

At that, he tugs up his black button down. "It seems I can hide it no longer from your observant eyes, Milady." He says, frowning. Sweat beads on his feverish face.

My fingers shift to the makeshift bandage that doesn't nearly cover the long gash across his abdomen. "Jakob… What… Whe-."

"Axeman… It was a burly thug, that one." He props his head on the pillow while I lean out my window to call for Elise. "The last battle… I'm afraid I was a bit careless…" He says wincing, as he bends to look at the wound.

"Why didn't you tell me?" My voice sounds harsher than I'd intended. "Hold still a moment. I need to remove your bandages. You'll be needing a new one." _It may be infected now and take even longer to heal..._

"No need to have Milady worry over the likes of me." _His voice is lighthearted, but he won't look me in the eyes._

I face him sternly, "Hey, you and I have been friends since childhood. You're no doormat." I begin peeling the drenched gauze away from his chiseled flesh to reveal the long slice that runs horizontally for a dozen centimeters. "I'm sorry, if this hurts…"

He frowns briefly, but says nothing. _He's holding his breath… It must sting… _

"As I was saying… We fight on the same field… As equals." I say, as I glide my fingertips across his wound, gently covering it in a vulnerary salve Suzukaze had given me. _This should do for now… _

"Aggh!" His groan startles me, and I immediately take my hand back, but he grasps it tightly.

I have to remind myself that it's only natural that the salve stings at first... "Please bear it just a second… It's only to help keep infection away while it heals…"

His harsh breathing subsides. As the seconds tick, so does his grip.

"Kamui-"

_Did he call me-_

"Ah- Er-"

"It's okay. Call me Kamui. I… I prefer that."

"I-I just…" His cheeks flush. _Though perhaps he's experiencing a fever too… _"It's just that… I never want to be a burden to you!"

Little beads of cold sweat running along his jawline. "Do you never think of yourself?! Stop putting me before yourself! It's going to get you killed!" _I'm so angry… I'm so… _

"I want to be of service to you!" He tries to sit up but can't.

"Stop Jakob, I really can't bear to lose any more of the people dear to me!" _I was so worried… _

A dreadful silence hangs in the air. He dodges my eyes. "Of course… I misspoke…"

A sharp clap breaks the silence and I spin to face the door.

"Oh how heartwarming." Zero enters from the dark hallway until he's only centimeters from my face. "You almost had me there." He says, scowling in a devious way. The bed creaks as Zero flops on beside Jakob. "Say- Would you cry for me if I had been the one 'lost'?"

I can hear the grind of Jakobs teeth as he shoots a piercing scowl at Zero.

He seems to read the atmosphere before it gets any more tense. "Yeah, yeah." The outlaw waves a hand as if that could clear the atmosphere. "Anyways, I brought the little pink one for you. You're welcome, you unthankful brat."

"Ah, Zzzeroooo!" Elise rounds the corner from the small entryway. "Why did you drag me here?! This better not be a joke!" She pouts, her eyes falling on me when she enters the room. They move to Jakob. Her purple irises immediately widen and her smile drops. "JAKOB!" She rushes toward his bedside, her black boots clattering across the wooden floorboards.

She swings her staff off of her back, skillfully twirling it to land in the palm of her other hand.

"Milady, I assure you, I will be quite fine." Jakob says, looking at Elise.

"Jakob, this is my job, so you listen to me!" Elise asserts herself, "You wouldn't be in this mess if you'd come to me straight after you got injured." He looks down at his hands, ashamed. "But it's okay, I'll have you healed up in no time at all." She says, winking. Her purple irises glance up at me, flickering in the candlelight. She quickly turns her focus back to her patient. "Heeey, his wound is already pretty well treated! Was this you, Big Sis?" She grins towards me.

"Yeah, sort of…"

"Thanks to you, he should regain full mobility within a couple of days." Her smile returns, softer this time as she rewraps the gauze, tying it far neater than I had.

_I remember when she couldn't handle the sight of blood… She's grown up a lot since then._

Elise uses her staff, Jakob thanks her, and she leaves shortly after.

I sit at his bedside and soon, he's fast asleep. "You're such a pain, you know?" I brush his silver hair from his closed eyes. "Just… Take better care of yourself… Don't make me worry like that again..."

Zero's warm fingers wrap around my arm startling me. _Gosh, I'd forgotten he was still here! _

"Come on! What a snorefest!" He exclaims. "Literally..." He adds, rolling his eyes.

I hold up a finger to my mouth shushing him.

"Of course, I'd be happy to whisper in your ear…" His breath tickles, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. "Come now, let's get out of here!"

"Get out of here?" I whisper back, "And go where?"

"I mean, if you're gonna kiss him, then, I mean, my lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone that you took advantage-" He says giggling slyly.

"K-kiss him? I-I wouldn't-"

"Oh, don't lie, that's exactly where you were going to take it." He pauses. "Oh, come now, it was a joke. I must admit that look on your face was precious… Though if you truly aren't going to do anything, let's go. I'm getting bored watching."

* * *

**Chapter Zero**

He tugs me along, swiftly shutting the door behind us. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"Eh, not far." He replies. "Don't worry your pretty little head… We're gonna have some _real _fun."

My gut reaction is to say something back, but seeing that look on his face… I couldn't bring myself to say anything. _He's truly terrifying when he's like this…_

We sit down together in the grove outside the armory- near the place where I stow Yato. I find a smooth boulder to sit on while Zero prefers standing. He looks at the moon through the branches of the trees overhead. _What's so great about the moon? That's hardly all I had seen in Nohr… What a commonplace orb in the sky…_

_He looks like he's thinking about something…_ "What is it?" I ask.

_"Nothing."_ His voice is barely audible, amplified only on the breeze it catches.

"Then why are we here-"

"No reason." He looks back at me, his silver locks catching the gleam of the moonlight.

I listen to the sound of the wind coursing through the short grass and swaying in the willow leaves above. "Okay." I fiddle with my fingers. "So this is your idea of _fun_, huh Zero?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

He sits beside me. "Look." His hand finds its way smoothly beneath my chin, where his fingers guide my eyes to meet his. _Such a sincere move to use with a stranger… He's only trying to get a rise out of my reaction- I'm sure that's it. He won't do anything. I know it._

His hair catches the platinum of the spotlight in the sky. "I'm sorry." He breathes in, "Because I gave you that staff, you feel as though you could've saved her." His eyebrows knot sincerely. "I just wanna apologize this time. We can have _fun _some other time." He adds, suavely. I ignore that part.

I'm taken aback. _It's not at all like him… Or perhaps… I was the one that misjudged him. _I break away from his hand that encourages me to face him. "No. No, I know I couldn't… Save her, I mean… Even if I had the skill, well… it takes time to hone."

"And yet, that look on your face says something quite contrary." He says.

I glare at him. _Or... perhaps, he's just trying to dig his nails into a fresh wound. He wants to expose me for my weakness… By understanding my weakness, I can never be a threat to him… He's guarding himself from potential hurt… _My mind spins.

"What? You hate me too?" He asks. "For being so… brash?... Or perhaps it's because I can't help but point out your own dishonesty?" A half smirk runs across his face, "You know it, don't you?"

"No… " I pause, but am in no mood to stop my own harshness, "Why are you asking me these questions? It's my fault, I know! I don't need you to tell me. She's dead! I know her death is my burden to carry- her death is something I must avenge." My eyes burn. I don't remember how I ended up standing, but I am.

"Easy.. Easy…" Zero gently grasps my hand and leads me to sit back down. His voice is calm like how Cyrus coaxes his horse into its harness… "You admit knowing you didn't have the skill to save her, yet you're taking on the responsibility… How noble of you…" He practically spits the last sentence. "How high and mighty of you to value us peasants beneath you… You-! You really are some hard act to follow!" He scoffs.

The wind rustles the dry leaves and branches overhead. My hair blows in my face. A cool, gusting breeze that's reminiscent of coastal winds. My hair dances like the tides that sway on the shores of Hoshido… But… _But… _ _My blood… I can practically hear it searing me from the inside out. _"Why are you trying so deliberately to hurt me, huh? Why do you pick me up only to throw me back down?"

"Because you haven't seen the half of it! And you're acting like you have! You think you know what it's like to see death up close and personal- but no! No you haven't!" He draws in a deep, irritated breath, "When will you give up being a silly, sheltered princess?"

For as confrontational as it sounds, the sarcastic pull of his lips indicates he only means to tease.

_I'm fed up... _"You're right! I know that I'm inexperienced. I know I haven't seen half of the corruption, disregard, brutality… death, that you've seen. And because of that, Zero, I'm asking for some understanding. Because I now know what it's like to lead… And now, for the first time in my life… I'm feeling what it's like to have a friend die for the cause I head… Her death- for me… To save me..."

We're quiet for a couple minutes.

"I know it must be hurting you." He tries to look me in the eyes, but I turn my face away. "Hell, it's probably haunting you… I know it… I've felt that feeling _your feeling right now_\- it's the feeling of being torn apart from the inside…" He pauses and I can feel the chill run through the air. "I didn't want to admit we're in any way alike. We aren't… But I too once felt that responsibility… That first time is the hardest…"

"You're right. We're nothing alike." I sputter coldly. "There will be no second time… I won't allow another person to take my place in death."

"That's just it though." He says scoffing. _I hate the sound of that laugh… It's so dry… In such… bad taste… _"Don't think that you can choose to allow it or not… That's what I have a problem with… You're righteous attitude is so _annoying. _You're not so mighty as though you can battle the will of your comrades. There are some things which cannot be helped… People really can't be controlled."

_What…? Is this his way of… trying to console me?_

He takes a deep breath. "Robberies gone bad… Deals gone amiss… People that weren't suppose to be there… caught in the crossfire of it all… I know very well what _that _death is like… The death of… coincidental nature- bad luck." He says with a tight-lipped frown. He fiddles with a coin in his fingers. "Wrong place, wrong time… It was suppose to be a quick job. Just _borrowing_ some medicines from the apothecary. Like we usually did… It's not like anyone ever noticed they were gone… But the wonders those vulneraries could do for our small underground village…" His face creases in frustration, but slowly- eventually- relaxes. "She followed me that day… I had teased her saying that Ryo and I had plans that afternoon so we'd play with her when we got back. I'd convinced her that I'd get a new button for her treasured stuffed animal while we were out. It was such an ugly worn out bunny… I never understood why she liked it…" He laughs an airy breath with little warmth.

"I'd trade one of the vulneraries for a button at the market before returning, that's what I'd planned. Her older brother, that's Ryo- and I were part of the same raid. Everything had been going smoothly. Then, we heard her voice, 'I wanted to help my big brothers pick out a new button!' That's what she said. I could hear the merchant's voice reply that he didn't sell buttons. We knew we had to get back through that window we'd come in through, but neither of us could leave without Ran. She'd told the wealthy merchant she'd seen us go into his shop… She told the enemy… And hadn't had the slightest clue…"

"We had no choice but to be caught in the act. We had to wait for her to bring the merchant to the stockroom. That was the only way to be sure Ran wouldn't be held hostage when he realized supplies were missing… The merchant knew us by sight as lowly robbers. Outlaws. The scum of the land. He drew his bow without hesitation. Ran… She jumped in front of us. 'They'd never do anything bad! They're my precious older brothers!' Ryo grabbed her hand and I grabbed her other. We made a run for the window ditching the vulneraries. We expected the merchant would keep firing at us, and when he didn't, we were happily surprised…"

"But… But it was because he'd shot her. An unarmed, innocent, five year old girl. We held her. She didn't cry. Tears welled in her eyes and even then, she insisted she was happy to protect her big brothers. For all of her life, we'd stolen the medicine she needed to fight her chronic illness… She realized it then… 'You were always protecting me.' As we begged her not to leave us… 'I'm not scared to die anymore.' She said that… Her hand was still clinging to that ugly bunny with the stuffing falling out… The thing is- is that nobody could convince her to be scared. Not in that moment..." He's quiet for a moment. "No, not in that moment..." He reiterates.

"I had picked out a button earlier that day in the market. Using the little money I had scraped together doing honest work. I gave it to her then- it was just a plain wooden button, but it was all I could afford… I handed it to her saying that when we got home we'd stitch Usamoru-chan up good as new… She knew there was no getting home. She was no stupid girl. She shoved the ratty bunny at me. She said, 'Usamoru-chan protects me while you and Ryo are away. He reminds me of my older brothers… I'm going away, aren't I?'"

"We couldn't answer her. We didn't want to scare her… Truth is, we were the ones that were too scared. 'Usamoru-chan will protect you while I'm away.' That was the last thing she said."

"It's been a long time since then. In the moment, I forget that pain- that first run in I had with death is buried beneath dozens more. But I do remember that dreadful, dreadful weight… That horrid, heartripping experience. I don't wish it on you. I don't really wish it on anyone, actually." He says, casually rocking back to look at the moon. "Y'know, Ryo, he never understood that he couldn't have saved her. We both felt guilty. But he was consumed by it. I was too at first… But that was before I really became the person I am right now…" He fiddles with the coin, flipping it and then holding it to the light of the moon.

_It-It's not a coin... It's a button._

* * *

"I'm sorry." I lay my hand on his arm. "I'm sorry you endured that."

"I don't want your pity." His voice is icy. "I don't want your 'sorry.' Being sorry won't bring her or the others back to life… Seeing that death… Waking up before sunrise and already reeking of death… Rots to the core." He sighs nonchalantly, but I know he's serious. "Your righteous attitude bothers me… Because it's exactly like Ryo's… I don't want to watch you rot like he did." He lays a hand on my head. "That would be a shame." He says, a grin spreading across his face. _It… it's painful to watch him smile like that… _"There's nothing that'll bring the dead back to life. We all come to terms with that sooner or later..." He continues to smile gently. _What an ugly smile that is..._

"Now, this has been a walk down memory lane… Not really a side that I prefer to walk down, but… with you, eh…" He shrugs. "I still don't particularly think it's _fun_… but it's been a while since anyone's pushed me to reveal… such an aching side of my past."

He looks away. Back towards the moon. I look too.

… We sit like that for a while… Just in silence…

"Well," Zero's husky voice interrupts the tranquility, "It's late. I'll be going. Let's have… our fun time when next we see each other. You're… an interesting one."

"Sure." I say.

He slips away silently, blending within the shadows of the trees.

_I'm exhausted._

…

_My chest… Feels so heavy. He didn't outright say it, but what he told me… Is that there is no justice. No avenging… To be had… I wonder how he goes on living like that- Accepting that he couldn't have prevented their deaths. Isn't that… just as bad as thinking he could have… ?_

_All that I can do..._

_If… If there's something I can do..._

_If I can help ease his burden by listening… If he can lean on me… _

_Then that's the only way I can think of..._

_In a world without justice… He won't admit… But I'm sure he wants to lean on someone... _

_Maybe, I'll see him smile… _

_A real smile… Someday..._

_I'd really like to see that._

* * *

**A/N: Yo, so I took a detour to write a Zero backstory! I quite like Zero's character- there's a lot to his personality and history that I feel like he's hesitant to reveal. I will probably continue to write him in this fanfic... though I know the summary implies focus on a TakumixKamuixLeon love triangle. Definitely not letting that plot point go, but I wanna add other characters to build on the "Fire Emblem" part! Please look forward to Chapter 6!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Kamui?" Someone shakes my shoulder. "Kamui?"

I feel the grit in my eyes as I blink away the sleep. "Ah… Leon?" The moon has shifted considerably across the plane of the mystical sky. Its brilliant silver glistens softly across his blonde locks illuminating his silhouette.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Practically midnight." He says, sitting down beside me. "What're you doing out here?"

"What're _you_ doing out here?" I ask back through a yawn.

"Hey," he nudges my knee with his own, "I asked you first."

I lean back into the gnarled tree trunk, "Watching the moon, I guess…" I mumble, rubbing my eyes as I drowsily stumble to get up. "Seems Zero's quite fond of-"

His hand hits the tree just beside my ear startling the remnants of sleep away and send me tripping back against the trunk. The dry bark crunches beneath his hand.

"What is it?" I ask, alarmed by his sudden motion. Leon's eyes stir with a molten burn. I can hear the crackle as his fingers splinter the bark behind my head.

His eyes widen, making him look just as startled as me. He sighs, turning his face away from mine. "Ah- it's nothing…" He rubs the scratches on his hand. "I just… I don't know… Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, it's just… It made me angry for some reason…"

"Angry 'bout what?"

He ignores my question, "Just… Just please don't let your guard down around him." He leans back against the tree.

"Why? He's _your _retainer." I say, raising an eyebrow.

"... Still…" He murmurs.

"Still- what?" I pry.

"Nothing."

"Don't you trust him?" _Damn, I have no filter..._

"What? Yes, of course I trust him!" He answers hastily, taken aback by the bluntness of my question. Averting his eyes, he continues, "You know how he can get though…" He palms his face, running his fingers anxiously across his face.

A drawn out silence hangs in the air. _I so flippantly projected that aura of distrust on their relationship… That's no way to resolve trust in the army… I only meant to help… But it just didn't come out right..._

"We should be getting back now. It's late." He gets to his feet, the dry leaves crunching beneath his boots, refusing to openly acknowledge my ignorance.

_Does… Leon know about Zero's past?... _I look up at him from where I sit. _If only it were written on his face… _I try catching his gaze. _If we could just support one another better… Everyone would understand a little better… _

"Come on now…" He says, extending his palm, though he doesn't look my way. The moon seems to mesmerize everybody tonight.

"Why did you change the subject?" I ask. _Maybe if I can gain some insight into a better way to resolve everybody's trust issues… I just… Maybe it's not just indulging in my own selfishness… I just... want to know…_

My feet anchor themselves to the cracked earthen path.

Leon frowns briefly, his lips pulling taut, "Look… Things just aren't so simple when it comes to you."

"What's not so simple?"

At that, he furiously ruffles his hand through his hair.

"What? What?" I push him. _Spit it out already! Call me self centered and ignorant. That's what it is, right…? The world I grew up in was naive, wasn't it?... Just tell me off… Tell me I'm just too ignorant for my own good… _

He looks almost feverish the way he's fidgeting. "I just… I just.. I don't want anybody taking advantage of you-"

"Oh, Leon, you know better than anyone that I can handle myself-"

"No, that's not what I meant!... I… don't want you to be hurt! I don't want you to hurt for people that have endured horrible things… And I don't want you to get hurt when you place trust in people who hold no responsibility." His voice resonates down the empty castle roads.

_What?_

"What are you really trying to say?" I cautiously lean in… _What am I suppose to do with an answer like that?_

The lively caramel in his eyes stills… _He's dead serious… _"In regards to Zero-" he pauses, looking at me sincerely. He turns away for a half second before quickly spinning to face me again as if debating upon what to say.

"You don't know the half of it." _The look on his face now is so foreboding._

"I… I hate to hear you say that." _My voice sounds so merciless. _"He gives his all to protect you- to fight beside you! And you- you coward! How dare you say that about him!" He flinches at that word- I see it in the clench of his jaw- but I continue, "You rely on him day in and day out, and then you have the nerve to judge him for his past?!"

"Listen." The leaves rustle as a gust of wind picks up, loosing some onto the dirt path.

I consider for a half second.

"Leon, I won't listen! You're right, he _has_ endured a lot. I know I don't know the half of what he's gone through, but Zero- he's just not a slave to his past!"

Leon lets out a scoff, and I fight the intense urge to slap him.

"Right. I trust him. Zero stands by my side as I stand beside his… We fight confidently knowing we have one another's back... But…" He gently lays a hand atop my head. "There's been a terrible misunderstanding. What I mean to say is that there's just no place for you between us."

_What?_

"Kamui… maybe you can understand that I'll never believe you'll be safe… Unless you're beside me."

… _I don't... understand… _

_My heart- such warmth… Why is my heart so suddenly filled with this… radiant energy…?_

"Look," I grasp his hand, "I'm so glad to hear you say that… Growing up, you always distanced yourself… Rightfully so too." I add. "Even though you were younger, you were always showing me up… So much smarter, brighter, and more talented… You were in a league of your own." I push my hair from my eyes with my other hand, "I've always admired you for that…" I look away, "And to hear that this is all… All for my safety… All because… you worry for me… Just… I wish that I could look after you as you have me."

He looks stunned. Almost like he's expecting me to say something more…

"Of course I want to protect you too!" I hold his hand endearingly, drawing it to my heart. "You're my precious little brother… So… You just stay by my side too, okay?" I give him my best attempt at a wink but notice his eyes growing distant, his smile losing that lustrous radiance. _It's that look from before… from the past… He looks so gloomy… Maybe what I'm saying… Is it too cheesy? To boring? To doting? He seems… annoyed…_

A dull silence parades the air.

"I'm sorry for misunder-" I start.

He pulls his hand from my fingers. _What an… empty feeling… _"Would you say the same to Ta-" He stops himself too.

I look up at him, _whoops, we started talking at the same time._ "Haha, sorry," I say scratching the back of my head, "What were you going to say?"

" Ah-, it's-" His eyebrows furrow. "... Nevermind."

"Say something to who?" I recall some of his words.

"You idiot." He grabs my hand. "It's late. I'll walk you to your place."

"Hmph! Well if you're gonna be mean like that, I'm not going anywhere with you…" I stubbornly squat down to make it harder for him to pull me. "Not unless… you carry me." I smirk, slyly. "I don't wanna walk."

"Geez, seriously-?" He gives me a frustrated look, but I can tell he's playing too now.

_I wonder what that was… What was on his mind just earlier…? _

"You manipulative little…"

"Hey, come on, when you were younger I always gave you piggy back rides." I snap, jokingly. "You'd always get tired after playing with Marx and ask me-" I grin, as a wave of nostalgia brings me back to our days at the Castle.

"Shh! Don't talk about that!" He says, reluctantly bending to his knees so that I can climb on.

I giggle, "What? Nobody's out here this late anyway." I say, snorting as I laugh.

I try to catch his glance, but he looks away.

"Oh, come on, you were a cute kid, Leon! Is a sister not aloud to reminisce of times with her kid brother?"

His smooth hair, glides over his face though, even without seeing, I know he's flushed a tomato shade. _He gets embarrassed so easily… It's adorable._

"Hurry up." He says flicking his hands at his sides motioning for me to get on.

I swing my arms around his neck. He swiftly stands up, grasping my legs to ensure I don't fall. "Thanks, Leon." I nestle my face into his back, the starchy linen tickling my nose. I feel the pulse in his neck beat into the flesh of my forearms, each exhale rhythmically aligned with his footfalls. His loose sleeved shirt carries the scent of musty books. _Musty library books… Perhaps he was in the records hall… Musty dusty… _

"What've you been reading…?"

"What's that?" I feel him turn his head slightly.

"What…? Wha .. Wh…" The lateness of the night seems to be catching up with me… I fight the drowsiness that lures me to fall into the abyss…

"... Tch, silly girl…"

* * *

"Hey… Hey…" A hand shoves me back and forth across the bed. "Kamui… Kamuiiii."

I blink, wiping at the drool that I assume had been trailing from the side of my mouth as I slept. "Takumi…? What is it…? It's so… early…" I say through a yawn.

_Lately, waking up to him has become almost normal… But does he really know how embarrassing it is to be seen drooling, snoring, and waking up with the worst bedhead?! _I haphazardously rub a hand through my knotted hair trying to loose some of the tangles.

"It's some little punks stirring up trouble." He says irritably from where he sits on the chair beside my bed. _He seems not to care about my appearance…_

I open an eye, cautious of the stunningly bright dawn. Despite the early light just beginning to filter through the window, Takumi is already fully dressed in his combat gear.

I snuggle deeper into my blankets. _It's too early for this…_

He pulls the quilt off of me, sending me retreating into a shivering ball. "Hey… So coldddd… Gimme my blanket back Takumiii…" I groan, sliding my fingers up and down my bare arms.

I send a hand flying about trying to feel for my stolen blanket without opening my eyes. _Ah, I've got it. _I pull it beneath my chin, indulging in it's cozy warmth.

"No, get up." He tugs the blanket again off of me.

"Whaaaat…?" This time, fully awakened by the briskness of the chill, I sit up fully, leaning against the headboard. "Okay, what punks…?"

"From the scouting group you sent last night- while surveying, Suzukaze, Saizo, Kagero, Setsuna, Azama and Yours Truly," He says, arrogantly referring to himself, "We ran into a group of kids- a _peculiar_ group of kids- who were fighting a small group of invisible soldiers on one of our armies previous battlegrounds." The sides of his mouth tug upwards as he shrugs, "Naturally, our forces aided in the defeat of the enemy and then we captured the kids." He rolls his eyes, annoyed. "We'll have to bring them back to whichever village they come from though, and that's a pain…" He heaves an annoyed sigh. "Ugh, I hope they know their addresses…Otherwise this is gonna be a looonnng day..." He drags a hand across his tired face.

ACHOOO! I sneeze. "Ah, excuse me." I say rubbing my nose. _So cold today… _"Kids, hm…? That's real strange…From which village?" I quickly rub my dripping nose. _They survived and defended a village from the soldiers… They must be more skilled and more trained than just ordinary children… right?_

He unbuttons his overcoat after shedding his outer layer of armor.

"What're you-?" My voice goes hoarse as he pulls off the jacket leaving him only in a thin undershirt. My eyes trace the lines of the fabric which cling to the chiseled outline of his shoulder blades… Down his chest… His abdomen…

I pull my eyes away, "W-w-what do you think your doing?!" I screech nervously as I spin around. "Don't just go wandering about undressing yourself as you please!"

A great deal of weight drapes around my shoulders, providing an instantaneous warmth. "You're gonna catch a cold dressed like that."

I look at my bare arms. My thin undershirt and shorts drape in their wrinkled, oversized, unappealing form. _I must've been tired last night. _I try to recall last night… _I don't remember dressing down to my underclothes like this..._

You stayed out all night again, didn't you." His breath heats the back of my ear. "Just… Don't get sick." He lays his fingertips beneath my bangs against my forehead, "Your face's really red… Geez you're burning up… Maybe it's too late to say that…"

I quickly turn my head away. _Leon… How embarrassing! He saw me like this?! Why did he dress me down? Is this some sort of horrible joke?! _My head spins, _He undressed me?!_

Despite turning my back towards him, he circles around me to sit beside me. His fingers agilely loop a bow at the front of the cloak, skipping just for an instance across my collarbone.

"There."

* * *

I insisted he take his cloak back. _He'll be the one to catch a cold if he lets his sweat chill when he goes out in only that… _I throw on a light sweater over my shirt and cargo pants over my shorts before following Takumi towards the main square of the astral castle.

As we near I begin to make out the silhouettes of half a dozen people, sitting on their knees in the courtyard, supervised by Suzukaze.

As I approach, "They… Takumi… These _are _ just children." _Some of them can't be any older than Elise..._

"I know, I know, it's startling, but they are more adept than they look." He shrugs.

They sit silently, eyes downcast… Their hands… "You can't bind them!" I hurriedly approach the teen nearest to me.

I just remember untying the knot and then…

"Kah!" He knocks the wind out of me.

I squirm, the dusty square unrelentingly close to my face. _He's on top of me. _There's a fleshy ache in my left leg- as one of his knees digs into my hip. My wrists remain pinned behind my back by the weight he forces on me with an iron grip.

I try to kick him with my other leg, but he quickly and effortlessly uses his other leg to suppress my movement. He's got an advantage- weight. Height. Skill… I attempt to turn my head to get a better look at his face, but he keeps his other hand on the back of my scalp forcing my cheek to remain plastered to the square. I finally manage to squirm into a position so that the sunlight falls behind his head silhouetting his frame and detailing his face in delicate shadows. His dark brown locks sway in the crisp morning breeze.

Up close… _Up close, he's no older than me… yet he's got this foreign mature air about him… He smells of ocean... Salt and sand... Where's he from? His techniques are more refined than mine… His fighting style is comprised similar to mine... Except...His strength is honed… Like a soldier… He's practiced far more than me..._

I stare at him. _What will you do…? What have you been training to do? _My own voice startles me, "Let go… We aren't going to hurt you."

His intense, clear-blue eyes bore holes through my own... His left eyebrow twitches, unsure.

_The more I look into those eyes… Those sky blue eyes… _Set against his mahogany hair and a porcelain complexion…_He's… Actually… Kind of… handsome… _

He looks away, coldly forcing my face harder into the ground, as if to proclaim me unworthy of gazing at him.

"Hey-mmpfh!" I begin to protest but quickly shut my mouth to avoid eating the dust of the square.

"Shiro!" The girl beside him, quickly turns her face towards the young man on top me. "Don't-!"

I hear the fwip of the air as Suzukaze pulls a shirken from his pouch, readying to strike. _He won't miss… I have to do something before he's pushed to throw..._

I wiggle to face my comrades.

"Don't move! I'll shoot!" Takumi's voice shatters over the commotion. "If you so much as scratch her, I'll kill you!"

_This just got a lot worse…_

He's drawn Fujin Yumi, the knuckles of his hand are wrought so tightly around it that his own veins look like they're binding his hold.

_What is that inhuman gaze in his eyes…? _His eyes are wide like a deer's. _Scared. But protective and overwatching like the ferocity of an eagle's. _

The teenager on top of me, _Shiro…_ looks between Takumi and the golden haired girl who seems to be half his age… _Why would he listen to her…? _

Footsteps rattle the dirt compound, I can see shoes- Kagero… Saizo… Leon… Zero…

"Slowly…" Takumi orders, though his voice quakes with some otherworldly anxiety. "Slowly get up." Fujin Yumi's mystic arrow shimmers calmly.

"I-I'm sorry!" The girl chimes again. Her voice is scared, but somehow, strangely empowered. The other children glance at her sideways but seem too anxious to look fully at her.

"Shiro's not an enemy! I promise- None of us are." She looks up from where she kneels, tears welling in her… _Eyes… They're so beautiful. They look so familiar, but… I know they're like nothing I've ever seen... _

"What good is your word, kid?" Leon bends in front of the small girl.

Shiro looks between Takumi and the girl who bites her bottom lip nervously, gauging with caution his options. Beneath the red sleeves of his robe, his exposed arms tense as if bracing for a conflict that's about to break out.

Slowly, he raises his arms in surrender. He scowls at Leon, practically seething. "Don't get any closer to her. Do… And I won't hold back." He warns.

Leon pulls Brynhildr from his satchel firing a warning of his own. "Try me."

I quickly slide out from beneath him, rubbing away the dull ache in my hip.

"Takumi! Leon! Enough!" I say. "Let's hear what they have to say." I look towards the young group of mercenaries.

"I'm Kana. I'm eight years old, and I'm from a Deeprealm. My specialty is swordsmanship, and using a Dragonstone." She smiles a lopsided grin, seemingly proud.

_A Dragonstone?! And she's so young too!_

The eagle eyed guy who kneels beside Kana smiles too, seemingly an entirely different person than before. "I'm Shiro. I'm nineteen, the oldest. I can use a naginata. We all come from Deeprealms actually."

_He had such competent techniques and attention- he knew… he could tell… what I'd try to do, before I had even made a move._ A sigh escapes my lips as I realize my naivety. _Just minutes ago… He could have killed me then… What a scary thought… And now, he looks just as sweet and innocent as that girl beside him..._

Introductions continue. "My name's Forrest! Nice to meet you! I'm a healer on horseback. I'm fourteen!"

_What a cutie! Forrest looks so much like Elise! _

"I'm Shigure. I'm eighteen. I'm a Pegasus knight and I can sing to raise morale…" He adds, softly.

_He looks so much like Azura… It's almost uncanny…_

"Kiragi. I'm thirteen and a pretty decent archer." The young boy says with his hands on his hips. "I'm only here because Kana said this was gonna be a quick visit…" He pouts. "Buuuuut of course she had to go and get all of us lost…"

_He keeps eyeballing Takumi… I wonder…_

"Siegbert. Sixteen, and I'm a paladin..." He stops himself, keeping his introduction brief. "That's all of us. We like to travel in small groups." He gives a reserved smile.

"You're so young to be travelling alone, much less fighting." I say.

"We're not usually by ourselves long. Papa and the others are usually around right away to pick us up." Kana says.

"It's because you got us lost." Kiragi butts in without hesitation. _He's so much like Takumi, it's almost not even funny._

The others seem to agree silently, but don't say anything. _Kana must be someone precious to them all… They seem to dote on her so caringly. I suppose she is the youngest… _

"May I ask your papa's name?" I ask.

"Of course you can! His name is Corrin!" Kana says standing up, "And he's the best Papa out there!"

"Corrin, hm?... I don't think I've heard of a Corrin recently… Can you tell me what he looks like?"

She seems to think for a moment, before blurting, "He actually looks a lot like you!"

"Me? Are you sure?" _Very few people look like me. Red isn't exactly a common eye color… _

He has the same silver hair, red eyes and light skin tone as you do!"

_Oh really?_

"You may look like those we're familiar with, but I have no doubt we simply landed in the wrong astral plane." The blue haired Shigure interjects.

_They know of the astral plane?_

"I'm the son of Azura. Shiro- the son of Ryoma, Siegbert- son of Xander, Kiragi- son of Takumi, Forrest- son of Leo.

"Strange… your parents names… Some share the same names as people in our world. Though others… are different."

"Exactly-" Shigure gets cut off by Kiragi before he can finish his sentence.

"You look _exactly _like Dad." Kiragi says, pointing at Takumi. "But you're not! You imposter!" He accuses, lightheartedly.

"True, I don't know you, kid." Takumi says. "And yet, I can believe your father has to be someone like me because you're wearing _that._" Takumi points to the blue kerchief tied around the boy's neck. "You wear it like I do… A me from another timeline, a whole nother world… must wear it exactly as I do too."

"I miss being around Papa… He just hadn't come to visit in a while… I just wanted to see him...I couldn't wait any longer!" Tears well up in Kana's eyes, and Shiro, like a big brother, swings an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Come on Kana, no tears!" He cheers, trying to get her to smile.

"You can stay!" I say without thinking. "A-As long as you need to… we'll look for your father together." _She's so attached to her father, it's really quite adorable._

"But," Leon swings a finger through the air.

"Leon-" I cut in, "Really…" I raise my eyebrows. _They're just children… _

He raises his eyebrows too in contest, continuing as if I hadn't interrupted. "On the condition…that you fight with us."

"Leon! They're kids!" I say, arguing. _He's seriously trying to recruit them?_

"Doesn't matter. They're capable and we need all the soldiers we can get." Leon says flatly.

"Wait." Shiro cuts in. "I'll fight whoever, whenever you want… But leave Kana out of it. She's skilled yeah, but she's just a kid. She's too young. And I won't be forced to stand helpless if she's put in danger. That… At any cost… I don't want that to happen."

"Kana- She does look like she could be your kid." Takumi says. We watch as the little girl frolics across the grassy archery range, reaching down every now and again to pluck a dandelion. "You sure you don't have a twin somewhere?" He jokes as he pulls one of the feathery flowers for himself.

"Ha! How about you, huh? Kiragi looks like you- are _you_ sure _you_ don't have a twin?" I say.

"Hey, I think I'd know if I did," he says, rounding his lips as he readies to blow the seeds from the stem.

Takumi and I watch as Kiragi places an arrow on the string of his yumi. Noticing Kana, he immediately lowers his bow, scolding the younger girl to get out of the way.

"Cute…" The words slip out of my mouth. _They bicker like siblings… I feel like I'm so far away… From this horrible war… When I watch them… _

"Besides archery, we have nothing in common." Takumi continues as though he hadn't heard me.

"Oh?" I peek over at him, _funny you'd say that… I was just thinking how alike you two are… _"Has he already bested you in the range?" I giggle. "And here I was thinking _you_ were the best in all of Hoshido!" I nudge him with my elbow, "Or should I say, 'I _thought_ you were the best…" I stifle my laugh.

"Shut up!..." He says, elbowing me back. "...He's just got… sharp eyes…"

"Ah, so you admit it then, ah ha ha." I look over at him to see if I should ease up on the severity of my jokes.

His amber eyes look down towards the grass we sit on while his fingers fiddle with the knot woven on the leather belt of his satchel. "What is it?... There's something bothering you, isn't there?" I ask. "Did I say too much? I didn't mean anything by i-"

"Nah, you're fine. It wasn't that…" He puts a hand to his face, restless. The tendons in his hand draw near the surface, rhythmically… twitching. In his other hand, he delicately grasps the unblown dandelion. _He hadn't blown the wispy seeds away on an earlier breeze…?_

I force my eyes away from his uneasy nerves and instead look towards the leaves overhead. "So, what is it?" I ask, trying to maintain a lighter mood. _What are you waiting to wish for…?_

"If he was my kid… I'd want…" My eyes are drawn back to his tense hand as it rakes through his beige bangs.

"You'd want…?" I squint at the golden leaves that filter the high noon astral sun, shielding away the glare with a hand.

When he says nothing for a moment, I glance back at him.

The pale skin of his cheekbones flush a rosy color. "I-I-I'd want him to be…"

"To be... what?"

"To be as great an archer as me someday!" He blurts.

I can't help but sputter out a laugh, "He's already surpassed you, you old man! You don't have to worry about that!" I laugh, but suppress it. _His mouth is pulled taut… He's biting his tongue… That's not what he wanted to say… Was it?_

"Come on now, out with it." I say, shoving him lightly. "You like the kid… don't you…"

The autumn-like glow in his irises soften as he looks towards his hands… The wind picks up, rustling his long hair into his face.

"It's just that… I can't imagine having a son like Kiragi…"

"Annnnnd?" I watch the tiny grass bugs fill the sun spotlight like dust does in the window of an old room. "You don't want to fail him." My voice catches softly on the space between us.

"I guess that's partly it…" He says that, though his gaze remains distant…

_What was that all about?_

"I saw how you were enamored by that guy from their group." He says abruptly.

"Huh? Where'd that come from?" I say, turning to face him fully.

"He made you hesitate." He continues as though he didn't hear. "He made you give in to whatever mind game he wanted to play… He wasn't even Leon… He could read your moves even though he was a complete stranger-" He combs his fingers through his bangs again. "It made me nervous to see you so… off your game…"

His hair is so soft beneath my hand… _I don't want to he scolded… Even if he's just trying to change the subject… _Takumi gazes silently at me now. _Those kind eyes… belong to someone I'll continue to hold dearly…_ "You're my precious family… I should have never let anyone past my guard… My focus needs to be on protecting everyone. I really can't afford to abandon my wariness...!"

_It makes me nervous to say… Shiro was the first guy that I ever held back against. _I bite my bottom lip, grinding it between my teeth.

Takumi scoffs, muttering under his breath, though I can't quite make out what.

"You know… He acted like he's always known you. You two are strangers though… A you from another timeline must've been close with him. Trained with him…" He hesitates. "There's just something about that that doesn't sit well with me…" His amber eyes meet mine.

"Well, then let's hope we never become enemies…" I say, trying to smile.

The leaves stir and the grass sways, rustling in a rhythmic pattern. _The air smells of orchids… That jasmine scent…_ _I know this..._

"Suzukaze. What is it?" _I know it's you… _I feel the ground vibrate as Takumi jumps, startled by the ninja's appearance.

"Sorry for interrupting you Milady." His stoic violet eyes flicker to Takumi. "Milord." He continues briefing, "Mozume left after hearing some faceless had turned up in her hometown." He crosses his arms, "If I may be frank…"

I nod.

"... She left alone… And I'm concerned for her safety."

"Her town was in shambles- there's no one there to protect, so why did she go back?!" I rake my hands through my hair, "Nevermind that, her safety is the top priority. I'll leave right now."

"Allow me to accompany you then, My Liege."

"Please, have some faith. Leave it to me!"_Why am I grinning? Am I truly so confident?_

A hand grabs my arm. "Oh?"

"I'm coming with you. Don't you dare leave me behind."

"Takumi…?"

A gloved hand grasps my other arm. "I must also insist that I come."

"Suzukaze…? You too?"

"I've sworn to protect you, My Lady. Please do not force me to await your return."

His soft green locks sway slightly in the breeze, though his piercing violet eyes remain locked on mine, unrelentingly.

"Fine."

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully the formatting's okay! I've been travelling around these past couple weeks so I wrote this pretty much entirely on my phone... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Thanks for reading, and per usual, feel free to review, comment and or critique! That sort of thing really encourages me to keep improving and pushing myself to deliver better writing! Hope you'll join me for the next chapter :D Thank you for sticking with me this far!**


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